


Woman of Complete Virtue

by ofsevenseas



Series: Persuasion to Joy [1]
Category: Huā Mùlán | Mulan (2009)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-06
Updated: 2011-06-06
Packaged: 2017-10-20 04:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/208890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofsevenseas/pseuds/ofsevenseas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ping'er has worked in the palace all her life, born to it as her mother was, and her grandmother before her. She does not even know her new mistress' name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Woman of Complete Virtue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lanoyee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanoyee/gifts).



> I completely forgot that General Wentai is only an alias until I watched the movie again - his real name is Prince Hong of the Tuoba dynasty. I've gone back and corrected the relevant texts, but sorry for the confusion.

Ping’er has worked in the palace all her life, born to it as her mother was, and her grandmother before her. For the most part they manage members of the household, almost family, and far more trustworthy than the ladies-in-waiting sent to accompany the royal consorts. Since the deaths of her eldest and third sons, the Empress has mostly withdrawn from palace matters, leaving them in the hands of Crown Princess Dowager Fu, who is both liberal mistress and frugal housekeeper. Very little escapes her notice, but that is all to the better, because everyone knows of her strict disposition, and dare not dispute her (admittedly fair) judgement.

When news of the seventh prince’s capture reaches the palace, Ping’er is overseeing the distribution of winter clothing for the palace servants. She hurries away, with cursory instructions to Qingling to check each package against the registry of servants. Prince Hong is only a seventh son, born after his mother had fallen out of favour, his upbringing largely undertaken by a rotating shift of nurses and royal tutors, but he was - and still is - well-beloved for his precocious mischievousness.

And there is the matter of the ransom treaty to consider.

Her aunt shoves an etched bronze platter in her hands as soon as she arrives at the royal quarters. "Good, you're here. Her Imperial Majesty has fainted again, and the Crown Princess Dowager's waiting for the Imperial physicians to arrive." Eunuch Li Huan arrives with a flurry of maids, snapping out a list of foods for Prince Jian and Lady Xi's quarters, and leaves without a second's consideration to the chaos in the palace kitchens.

His departure marks an increase in the frantic activity in the rooms, but her aunt only rolls her eyes at Li's theatricality. "Your cousin's seeing to His Imperial Majesty's midday, but I can't trust any of these panicked chickens to make sure Lady Fu doesn't follow her mother-in-law and fall down where she stands. Get some of that porridge into her if you have to spoon it down her throat, do you understand me?" Ping'er nods, and whisks away to the Eastern palace, hands and feet steady even with the uproar around them.

Lady Fu smiles wanly in her direction as Ping'er makes her obeisances and sets the platter of steaming food down on a teak side-table. The Crown Princess Dowager's mourning cream-grey silks are immaculately draped as always, but the faint tremor in her hands give lie to her calm expression. Ping'er has never been one for politics, but the barbarian prince Ashina's reputation for bloodthirstiness has been earned, many times over, and any amount of ransom will not change the fact that they may not see all of Prince Hong home.

Her Highness looks back to the door to the Empress's bedchambers, gaze fixed. Ping'er begins to ladle porridge into celadon porcelain, murmuring to Lady Fu encouragingly, "Your Imperial Highness, have a care for your own health. Her Imperial Majesty depends on your support in all things."

She smiles sadly, one hand stroking the embroidered panels of her mourning robes. "I know what loss feels like, Ping'er. My imperial mother will not care for food or companionship."

It hits Ping'er stomach like a heavy staff - of course. Lady Fu lost her children with her husband in the ambush, and Prince Hong is the only son remaining to the Empress. The current Noble Imperial Consort in favour does not regard the Princess Dowager with any measure of kindness at all, and only the avaricious infighting amongst the other imperial wives keeps her from sinking her claws into the palace workings proper. "This humble one does not know, Highness, but she feels sure the prince is still alive. Please do not give up hope."

Ping'er proffers the bowl of snow fungus brew in proper form, head carefully bowed to avoid eye contact. She feels the bowl lifted from her fingers, and hears tiny clicking sounds when the spoon knocks against the side of the procelain. She busies herself with the rest of the tray, allowing the Princess Dowager to regain some semblance of her usual gravity.

She is stirring sugared walnuts into lotus-and-rice porridge when she hears the rustle of silk behind her, and carefully sets the utensils down before stepping to the side, eyes respectfully cast down and hands clasped at her right hip. Lady Fu's hand slides under her chin and gently tips her head up, until she is looking into luminous dark eyes. Her grip tightens when Ping'er's eyes try to focus on the golden phoenix headdress, and so she looks back into the Princess Dowager's serene face.

Eventually she widens her eyes and relaxes minutely. "You believe that brother Hong is safe."

Ping'er nods slightly, mind skittering to a few years ago, when an indiscreet eunuch overstepped his authority and was flogged to death in front of an assembly of hushed servants. Rumour said that the orders had been from the Crown Princess Dowager herself, though Ping'er had not believed them. Now, however, with the pressure of Lady Fu’s rings against her jaw, burning with the cold of ice-green jade, Ping’er only hopes that she has not been measured and found wanting.

“You are in charge of training new maids, am I correct? Lianshan’s second daughter?” Again she nods, as if she has any choice.

Lady Fu’s mouth curves slightly. “Do not be afraid. Your family is the mainstay of this palace, and you have again proven our faith. Go and complete your duties, Ping’er, do not worry for me.”

Ping’er bows her way out of the room, keeping her back to the door.

Later that night, Yuanlian thumps into their bed at an absolutely unholy hour, and sticks her icy feet right onto Ping’er’s calves. She is too tired to kick back at her cousin, but she does grumble menacingly into her pillow.

Her cousin sighs. “The emperor has agreed to all the terms. It took him eight platters of chestnut marzipan cookies, but he’s drawn up something that made Councillor Liu try to stab himself in the eye.”

Ping’er doubts that the speaker for three northern clans would act so rashly, but the ransom demand came in a blood-soaked bag. It is not a reassuring sign.

\---

For two days the palace is locked under a cloud of silent terror, and Ping’er stays in the kitchens making baozi so she has an excuse to keep away from the General’s execution. From what Yuanlian tells her, the Emperor is resolutely determined to make the best of a bad situation. She’s too palace-bred to believe in the rumours that burn like wildfire through the ranks of servants, but every night she kneels at the ancestral altar for a candlemark and prays for hope.

On the third day, her aunt corners her. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, sulking here, but keep an eye out for the imperials, girl! We’re here to serve, and if you’ve forgotten that then you might as well go home, for all the use you’re going to be when the real problems come. What your mother was thinking, sending you here...”

Accustomed to her aunt’s volubility, Ping’er dusts off her sleeves and walks calmly to her rooms, her aunt following like an irritable hen. It is not her place to serve the imperial family directly, and the maids under her direction have been doing their best to disappear into the scrollwork and hangings - Ping’er understands the desire for invisibility when one’s masters are apt to be already aggravated. She does not want anyone putting themselves through unnecessary difficulty. Her aunt, sheltered by a life as the top cook, does not understand.

Cousin Yuanlian is in their rooms when she returns, and shushes her mother. For a moment Ping’er is tempted to laugh, they are so alike, but then Yuanlian threads the golden phoenix sash of the Dowager Crown Princess through her outer robe, and ties it with her typical flourish.

Ping’er picks up the heavy silken ends, and stares at the pearls stitched in perfect clusters in the winding tail of the imperial phoenix. She feels unprepared.

“Well!” Her aunt crows in satisfaction, “My sister always said you were the smartest and prettiest of all our children. You’d do no better than the personal maid of the Crown Princess, widowed as she is, and that’s a fact.”

Lady Fu’s chambers are empty, the maids and stewards redirected to the Empress’s rooms. Ping’er finds a box of tea leaves for imperial consumption and begins to sort them into different bowls. A little while later, Lady Fu herself enters and sits across the table. Neither mistress nor servant comment on the strain of waiting for word from the emissary sent to submit to any and all terms, instead choosing to devote a peculiar kind of concentration to peeling back the Long-jing tips until only the tenderest green remains.

\---

Ping’er spends more time at Lady Fu’s side than in her own rooms, so Yuanlian actually ambushes her on the way back from fetching midday with the news that General Hua has saved the day, against all odds. The news is staggering, though not entirely unexpected - everyone knows of the miracle General Hua once wrought with only 3,000 infantry and a foggy meadow. Why should he not wrestle the prince from the Rouran’s grasp armed with nothing but his courage and a faithful steed?

She makes her fingers unclench from the wooden pillar behind her, and asks, carefully modulating her tone, “And all is well?”

Ah. Yuanlian looks down at the laden tray in Ping’er’s hands and deflects with her customary good cheer. “I think you’d better get that to Her Imperial Highness before your hands fall off. It’s best not to start off your new post by ruining my mother’s cooking, yes?”

Ping’er knows to answer in an equally light tone, “You owe me a backrub, then, for keeping me here so long,” and knows that all her questions will be answered in the twilight of servant’s quarters. It is fortunate, she knows, that her cousin is able to bring her imperial news, and that any advantage is a boon in her mistress’ world.

She leaves the food quietly arranged in a way that will induce Lady Fu to eat, if only absentmindedly while reading palace reports, and exits the rooms again. Ping’er stops by the chamberlain’s department and requests a thorough cleaning of the Dowager Crown Princess’ suites, and adds, mouth firm, that the draperies are all to be replaced. She knows, behind her back, the chamberlain is making a moue of discontent, the one dubbed ‘fish face’ by the head steward, though she has not so far made any special efforts to displease him. It is only that Lady Fu will need to appear to advantage when the whole of the imperial family descends upon her apartments, concubines and all, to demand what they can.

The seventh prince’s transformation from layabout to soldier to returning, triumphant war hero can only disturb the precarious hierarchy developed in his absence.

\---

This week, the palace seethes with suppressed tension as well, though it is mostly of joy and a wish to see the hated Rouran and flaunt victory in their faces. The volatile strength of their emotions is somewhat amusing and frightening at the same time.

Ping’er arrives at her mistress’ suites before the Crown Princess Dowager rises, as she should. “I have discovered,” Lady Fu says during breakfast, “That you have made the effort of reshuffling the palace easier, and that the chamberlain is singularly impressed with your judgement.”

She makes a bow in acknowledgement of the praise, only glancing at Lady Fu’s smile from the corner of her eyes.

“You have contrived so that only the important things occupy my attention for any span of time. It is commendable service, and so I will grant you one boon - anything you wish, within reason, for what you have done for me this week.” She sets down her chopsticks, breakfast only half-eaten, and extends a hand towards Ping’er. There is a finely carved Guanyin bodhisattva resting in her hand, of polished white mutton jade, lustrous in the early morning light.

Ping’er bows and takes the gift, a fine thing, spotless and a definite token of the imperial family. “Your Imperial Highness has not yet chosen a personal maiden for the new princess-to-be. If I may...?”

Lady Fu nods. “Yes. We cannot appear to neglect her, and my brother Hong will need the help.”

“I would like to undertake such a position myself, your Imperial Highness.”

Her mistress looks at her, gaze level and frank. “You bear no love for the Rouran. I know of your family’s service, and it is not only in the palace ranks that they excel themselves.”

Surprised, Ping’er allows the surge of protectiveness rise in her eyes. “I would not trust others to do this thing, my lady. The Rouran princess weaseled her way into our palace, and Prince Hong is all we have of the late Crown Prince’s blood.” She does not dare say, because he is the only prince I trust to rule with justice.

The Dowager Crown Princess nods in consideration, does not say yes or no before she dismisses Ping’er for the day’s tasks.

\---

At the rise of dawn, Ping’er watches from atop the palace walls and waits for the Imperial courtege to appear in the horizon. It occurs to her that she does not even know her new mistress’ name.

No matter. She is a barbarian usurper, and that is all she needs to know.

**Author's Note:**

> I have complicated feelings about this fic. For one thing, it took six months to write (sorry, Kikoujutsuka), mainly because I had trouble navigating the servant psyche, as it were. Service and societal status was so ingrained, up until the end of the Qing dynasty, that I have no real idea of what a servant in the Northern Wei would be like. So I cobbled things together out of TV shows and what little I know of Chinese history/culture. I had to write about her, however, and I had no idea why until I figured out where the rest of the series was going - and I needed to build a picture of what the palace is like, from the perspective of an insider.
> 
> On the other hand, I'm also not thrilled with just how much Ping'er perpetuates the morally ambiguous reign of the Dowager Crown Princess within the palace because she thinks it's right (and not really the servant's position to question anyway). Fundamentally Ping'er is a good person, but she's got major blind spots, and obliquely you'll see her overcome them in her mistress' installment, the princess of Rouran. Who still doesn't have a name, on the 3rd rewatch, and really, I'm just going to have to make something up, won't I?
> 
> Ping'er is also named after a character (bonus cookie points if you get it), who was the consummate handmaiden and dragon to a truly formidable matriarch.


End file.
